INSTEAD of focusing on getting the best out of his own career, Worcestershire bowling coach Matt Mason now has 11 others to worry about.

Over a career spanning 98 First-Class appearances for Worcestershire, Mason claimed 314 victims at an impressive average of 26.91.

After 10 years at the coalface for the County, the Western Australian hung up his bowling boots and was handed the task of schooling the New Road club’s stable of seamers.

The 39-year-old, who was forced to retire after failing to recover from a shoulder injury, said: “When I first took over, it was very frustrating — when I was out there as a player, I could do something about it — but now watching as a coach you have good days and bad.

“It’s a challenging role and very different to playing — instead of having to manage one career, I’m managing the 11 seamers I’ve got in the squad.

“I think we have a good mix of experience in our bowling attack now and some great youngsters coming through and we have to get the conveyor belt of young fast bowlers to keep producing players.

“With the three different formats, you have to cover all bases — we’ve got guys who are showing high level of skill in one, but maybe not the other, so we have to steer them in the right direction.”

Mason calls upon his vast experience in the professional game to help develop the up-and-coming bowlers on the fringes at New Road and he says he’s been impressed by the attitude and fighting spirit of the County’s young guns.

He added: “I’ve been really impressed by the work ethic of the younger guys.

“They have come through academy systems where they do get looked after — in my opinion, sometimes too much — so I try to instil a work ethic where they can manage and push themselves.

“They need to respond well to the challenges Bumpy (director of cricket Steve Rhodes) and I set them and I try to prepare them the best I can for the challenges of first-team cricket, because we have to find consistent performances from our young bowlers.

“I certainly revel in their success but, likewise, I feel their frustrations as well, because they all want to do well and they work as hard as they possibly can.”

Mason continued: “With a skill like bowling, you have to get the overs in to get better.

“These young guys haven’t got the overs in yet. I was 26 when I started my career here, so I had a bank of overs to call upon and I need to get those overs into these young guys now.

“It’s not an easy job being a bowler — particularly a young one — and they are under pressure.

“I try to spend as much time as I can during games walking around the boundary and speaking to them, encouraging them and finding out what they’re thinking.

“The biggest key is having a clear mind and a lot of these young guys worry and panic — they think too far ahead rather than focusing on the next over.

“It’s about giving them support and confidence when they need it — or even a kick up the backside if they need that. That’s what my role encompasses.”